Hello all, I just want to introduce myself to the group. My name is Mark and I will be taking my very first class in Yang Tai Chi this coming tuesday in Manchester NH. I have been thinking about doing this for sometime now and things just came together somehow. I am a 52 year old software engineer and I really need to get some exercise in my life. I feel like my body is slowly wasting away and have very little energy or desire to do a workout. I am hoping that Tai Chi will restore my vitality and my spirit, which seems to be slowly dwindling away. I am married and have three children (girls) that are grown and have thier own families; also have six grand children and two dogs. My life is lacking something and I am hoping that Tai Chi can help me find it. I am interested in martial arts, nature, God (the creator), the universe, science, math, reading, and philosophy. Lately it seems that I find myself yearning for more of the philsophy of life than technology; which has been my life up to now and still is. I guess I need to add some dimension to my life. Well, I don't know what else to say for now. But wish me luck in my first class, I will let you know how it goes.

I would love to hear how things are going two months down the road. I just saw some folks from the Manchester Center at the ranking test in Montreal and was able to renew some old friendships.

I find that the more I put into Tai Chi, the more I get out. I came back from the trip incredibly energized and excited about my practice. Watching the ranking was really inspiring, and some of us also did some push hands practice that really got me fired up.

Mark,It's been 1 1/2 years since that Tuesday in tai chi. Please share your experience with us on the outcome.Did it help you in anyway? Is it to boring? Was there camaraderie ? Any hindsight comments?Did you like it? Has your health improved?

I am 53 this year and had been at it ( tai chi ) for the past 6 years. I don't swear by it but I do find it to be a good work Out. My thigh and leg muscle is hard and stiff all the time but my tummy is bulging. It says that tai chi makes a person with better appetite and also calm the mind to sleep easily duringThe night.When I practice tai chi in class for two hours, I will have a cold feeling on my stomach immediately After the session.

All else, I believe tai chi gives me the platform or energy to perform other cardio exercise like jogging ,Long walk and other stamina building exercise.Without it, I might take the lazy way out and be a couch potato.

At my age, I can walk for hours without stopping,even with the 3 stents that I have.

I have been playing Taijiquan for a couple of years (Jan 2010-present), though this my third attempt at learning. My name is Sean.

I played Cheng Man Ching for a couple of years when i was 19, then dropped out of Martial arts (i had done Karate when i was 13 - 16) for 10 years. When i moved to Ireland 11 years ago i found an external school training in a Gongfu style called "Ming quan". I picked up Taijiquan from 2005-2007, after which i dropped out again due to a mixture of ill health, work, and the club closing down.

I practice every day for an hour, and curse my external training whenever i do partner work. It's hard not to fall back on old habits. I practice Yang style taught By John Ding, from GM Ip Tai Tak, from GGM Yang Shou Zhong.

I love reading about, and Playing Taijiquan. I find peace in Daoist philosophy, and in the eyes of my 16 month old daughter.

A short intro - I am in my 50's and I study Yang Family Tai Chi in the Chu Gin Soon Federation (2nd Disciple of Yang Sau Chung). I have been a student for a few years. I also studied CMC style many years ago. I will share what I know on the forum, with no intent to argue or force my views.

Emenem,Welcome to the forum. We ebb and flow around here; sometimes a lot is published in a short time, sometimes there's nothing new for a few weeks. But we always do our best to be polite and exchange good information. I had the privilege to meet with Dimitri Mogdis, teacher at the Internal Arts Institute, a Gin Soon Chu school, a few years ago in FL.He was very polite and knowledgeable about Tai Chi Chuan. I really enjoyed my afternoon working with him at his school. If all the teachers in the Gin Soon Chu group are half as knowledgeable as Mr Mogdis you are in very good hands indeed.I look forward to your insights.

Thank you for the warm welcome Bob. I met Sifu Dmitri in Boston a few years ago, and yes he is "a gentleman and a scholar". He is also one of the most senior students of Chu Sigung. I had read your account of your visit with him with interest some time back. I hope to contribute to discussions when I can.